Read the following information about a koala sanctuary, a place where koalas are protected, and then answer the questions on the opposite page.
Gumtree Koala Sanctuary
Koala facts
Many people call these wonderful animals ‘koala bears’, but in fact their correct name is simply ‘koalas’. They are not actually bears, they are a type of mammal called a marsupial. Other marsupials include wombats, which are the koala’s closest relatives, kangaroos and wallabies.
We have about 40 koalas in our sanctuary at any one time: male and female, young and old. Did you know that female koalas generally live longer than males? You can tell them apart by their faces – males have larger ones. Another way to distinguish them is by the pouch that females have on their front. This is like a pocket, and it’s where baby koalas live for the first six or seven months of their life.
Koalas spend much of their time in trees, so they need to be able to climb and hold on easily. They have long arms, strong back legs, and long, sharp claws on their paws. Each paw has five digits (fingers or toes), and while there is only one thumb on each back paw, there are actually two on each front one. On the back paw, one of the digits does not have a claw on it, and it is used for keeping their fur clean.
Koalas can’t see very well, so they use their other senses more. They have good hearing, which helps them to tell if there’s anything dangerous nearby. But they rely most of all on their highly developed ability to smell, which they use to detect other koalas, and also to find their favourite food!
Our koalas
The koalas in our sanctuary are here for several reasons. Some come here because they have been injured, for example if they have been hit by a car or attacked by a dog. Although this happens to many koalas, what is more serious is habitat loss – in other words, there is less space for them to live in the wild because towns and cities are getting larger. As a result, it is becoming more and more common for us to see koalas near our homes. Usually koalas spend most of their time sleeping in trees, but if you see one sitting under a tree, it is probably unwell. Another sign of sickness is if it doesn’t move away when approached. Koalas can easily get a particular type of infection, and this is usually as a result of stress. We treat many sick koalas here at the sanctuary, and aim to return them to the wild within a short time. However, some will stay here for the rest of their lives.
We hope you enjoy your visit to the sanctuary. And remember, the money from your ticket is used to help care for these beautiful animals!
Which species are koalas most closely related to?